A Wedding and then some
by piggycat350
Summary: For NatsumeSeries contest: Love is in the air. While planning for a wedding, he discovers his true feelings. Will he ever reveal them?


A Gakuen Alice fan fiction

For the Natsume series contest #2: Natsume as a wedding planner

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice *sobs*

A/n: I can't believe I'm doing this.

_Change: 'sempai' to 'senpai' - thanks to haruh for pointing out my mistake ^^_

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* * *

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"Flowers?"

"Hn."

"Hors d'oeuvres?"

"Hn."

"Guest-list?"

"Hn."

"… Seriously, Natsume! Can you be a little more serious about this?" Mikan glared at the guy lounging across the couch, reading his manga.

The only response she got was him flipping a page.

A vein started throbbing in her temple as Mikan got up from her seat, and grabbed his book away. She pursed her lips and frowned.

"Hyuuga Natsume! You are supposed to be the wedding planner. Not me." She huffed, "But it seems as if that I have been doing all the work around here, not you!"

His crimson eyes met hers. His expression not changing, Natsume got up and took back his book. He placed it onto the table, and sighed.

"Look, Polka-dots. Like you said, _I_ am the wedding planner. Not you." He cocked an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. "Who told you I have not been doing my job? Besides, you shouldn't have any knowledge of all these details. I only agreed to let you have a _peek_ at them since you had so _shamelessly_ begged me to."

A blush spread across the brunette's face. She pouted, "W-Well, I can't h-help it. It is my best friend's wedding!" She made a sad face, "I can't b-believe it. H-Hotaru is getting m-married!" Then sniffing, she added on, "And don't call me Polka-dots!"

Natsume felt himself smiling at the sorry, yet extremely cute, look on Mikan's face. He stopped himself and coughed, "Hn. Why are you so worried? It's not as if she was cheated into getting married." His lips twitched. "If anything, Ruka's the victim here."

Mikan threw a punch in his direction, which he easily dodged. She frowned, "Ruka-pyon's the most lucky person in the world to get Hotaru as a bride. How can you call him a victim?"

Natsume threw Mikan a disbelieving look. "Are you kidding? Or are you just blind?" He dodged another punch, and continued, "Maybe it is Ruka's problem. His brain is probably damaged after getting hit so many times by Imai's Baka-gun."

Despite herself, Mikan felt a smile tugging on her lips. Her eyes twinkled, and she giggled, feeling slightly guilty in doing so. "Hmm… Ruka-pyon has been hit many times by Hotaru's gun. Since when did that start anyway?"

Natsume smiled freely now, as they discussed the possibility of Ruka having brain damage. "I think elementary school. Ever since Ruka's rabbit ate Imai's lunch. Well, she did leave it there open and unguarded."

Mikan laughed, "Yes! I remember now! Hotaru was so mad!"

"How could you tell? Her face had the same expression throughout!"

"I'm her best friend! Of course I could tell!"

Natsume laughed, "I guess love is indeed like an anaesthesia. It numbs you."

"Natsume!" Mikan was caught between laughing and scolding him. She ended up pouting. "That is so unromantic! And you're supposed to be a wedding planner." She sighed wistfully. "Such a wonderful job!"

He surveyed the dreamy look on her face, and raised an eyebrow. "You should know I only did this because of my father's endless begging." He snorted. "How can that guy be in this career for so long I don't understand. Thank goodness I only have one more year before I can pursue my own career."

Mikan shook her head, and shot her childhood friend an exasperated look. "Natsume, you don't know how lucky you are. Planning weddings are really enjoyable. You can get to see all the happy faces. Besides, you know how much Oji-san wants you to take over his company."

Natsume only continued staring at her, and Mikan took a step back, slightly uneasy at the look on his face. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by her mobile ringing. She hurriedly answered it.

"Hello? Hotaruuuuuu!" Her entire face lit up with joy upon hearing her best friend's voice.

"Eh? All right, I'm on my way!"

She hung up and grabbed her bag on the chair, still beaming. Mikan waved to Natsume, explaining as she made her way towards the door. "Hotaru needs my help, so I'm going there now. I guess I'll see you at the wedding. Bye!"

She left the room, leaving Natsume staring at the open door, an inexplicable expression on his face.

* * *

"Natsume! You're late!"

The raven-haired boy just grunted and sat beside his best friend, the groom-to-be. They were having Ruka's bachelor party at the pub where they frequented. He grabbed the glass of beer offered by Ruka. Ruka waited for Natsume to swallow the mouthful of drink in his mouth before leaning forward to speak, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"So how's the wedding coming along, Mr. Wedding Planner?"

Natsume shot him a death glare, and spoke, rather unwillingly.

"It's done. Mikan stuck her nose into every single thing, making sure that your wife gets the wedding of the century, or rather, millennia. The flower arrangements have been settled: champagne roses along the aisle and the bride's bouquet, and gardenias as the bride's hair accessory. The hors d'oeuvres are being catered from the top hotel. And the guests for the day have all RSVPed. Also, the- Why are you grinning like a fool?"

Ruka's grin widened. "Well, it's just that I still can't imagine you being a wedding planner. Imagine: the words 'Flower arrangement' and 'RSVP' coming out from Hyuuga Natsume's mouth." Ruka tried to stifle his laughter, with little success.

"You want to attend your wedding with a broken leg?"

Ruka sobered up, and looked rather ashamed. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself." Then he brightened up, and hooked an arm around his friend's neck, "Hey, we're best buddies right?"

Natsume shot a suspicious look at him.

Ruka continued, "So… How about a discount?"

Natsume smirked, "What? Can't afford my rate? Imai has plenty of money from her inventions." His smirk widened, "And not to mention, from black-mailing you."

Ruka looked at Natsume sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Natsume shook his head, and gave an exasperated sigh. "You, my friend, are the weirdest person I've met. I can't believe we actually remained as friends for so long despite that." He raised an eyebrow, looking questioningly at his weird friend, "Did she get you with her gun again?"

Ruka winced slightly, and nodded his head. "Yeah… Apparently, my hamsters ran havoc in her lab. How was I to know they were that clever, and were able to unlock their cage?"

"So, is the wedding off?" Ruka frowned at the hopeful tone in Natsume's voice.

"Not by a long shot, my friend." Ruka sighed, a dreamy look on his face. "Heck, she blackmails me, shoots me with her baka-gun. But yet, I can't help but love her."

"Like I said to Mikan today. Love is like an anaesthesia. It's numbing. Right now, I see it also robs you of your common sense."

Ruka looked at him, a wry grin on his face, "Then what about you? When are you going to propose to Mikan? Wait. Let me rephrase that. When are you going to even ask her out on a date?"

Natsume's response was another gulp of his beer.

Ruka sighed, "Natsume. If you're not going to ask her out soon, you'll regret it. In fact," Ruka leaned forwards, a worried look on his face, "I heard that Andou has been asking about Mikan."

Natsume's grip on his beer mug tightened. "Andou?"

"Yes, Andou. The guy who was always hanging out with the four of us during high school. Tsubasa-senpai. Remember?"

"_Tsubasa-senpai is the best!"_

Mikan's words from back then still haunted him from time to time. As if Natsume could forget their senior from high school.

Ruka noticed how silent Natsume was, and shook his head. He patted his friend's shoulder.

"Well, I hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

"Hotaruuuuu!" Mikan bawled, rushing forward to give her friend a hug.

_Bang!_

"Ouch! Hotaru!" Mikan rubbed her forehead, where a slight bump was developing. She looked at the bride, with sad puppy eyes. "Why did you do that for?"

Hotaru calmly placed her Baka-gun on the table, and looked into the mirror again, to ensure her dress was not crumpled. She stared at Mikan, and calmly replied.

"I could hardly let you mess up my dress. And stop your crying. It's making your mascara run."

Mikan sniffed, tears running down her cheeks. "B-But… Hotaru! I can't believe you're getting married so fast! I can't bear to let you go!"

Hotaru gave a small shake of her head, a smile playing at her lips. "What are you? My mother? Even my parents aren't acting as emotional as you right now." Both turned to look at Hotaru's mother, who was calmly ordering their friends around while arranging the bride's bouquet.

It seems as if calmness runs in the Imai family.

Mikan lowered her head, and pouted. A small smile made its way across Hotaru's face as she looked at her best friend. She flicked Mikan's forehead, and spoke.

"Come here, idiot. This is the only time, okay."

Mikan brightened up, and closed the distance between them, grabbing Hotaru in a big hug. She sobbed.

"Idiot." Hotaru said, though her eyes were rather moist.

"I'm going to charge you for this hug."

* * *

The wedding was held in a small church in Tokyo. It was a quiet, yet beautiful place. It took Natsume quite some time before he managed to find it. The pews had bunches of roses attached to them, and there were flower arches constructed specially for the wedding.

The first thing the guests did when they stepped in was to take in a deep breath. The entire place smelled fantastic, with all the flowers. As the guests slowly made their way towards their seats, they would stop now and then to greet familiar faces. Happy laughter rang out in the hall as people reminisced about the past. Soft piano music filled the air as the pianist started her playing.

It might be small, but it was one of the loveliest weddings Natsume had ever planned.

"You can still back out now if you want."

Natsume smirked as he blocked Ruka's punch. Ruka rolled his eyes, and faced the mirror to straighten his tie. Running a hand through his hair, Ruka spoke, "As if. You have no idea how long it took for me to get Hotaru to agree to my proposal."

Natsume's smirk widened, "You mean how much you had to spend to get her to agree. I saw the ring." He gave a low whistle, "It probably costs more than my fee. No wonder you asked for a discount."

Ruka shot him a look, and let out a breath. "You should worry about yourself first. You should know that Tsubasa-senpai is one of our guests today." He took a step back when he saw the look on Natsume's face. "It was Hotaru's idea. Not mine."

Natsume turned, and headed for the door. "Whatever. You'd better hurry. 15 minutes to go."

Natsume left, an uneasy feeling in his heart, as he repeated Ruka's words in his mind.

* * *

The music flowed into a soft, sweet tune. The guests stood, watching as the doors open and the bride started walking in. Two children preceded her. One was Natsume's little sister, Aoi, and the other was his other best friend, little Hijiri Youichi. The ladies, and some guys, sighed at the endearing sights of the children throwing flower petals into the air.

Mikan followed after, walking behind the bride. She smiled when she saw Ruka's awed look upon seeing his bride and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at Natsume, who smirked at her.

All took their places and the music softened and eventually ended as the celebrant cleared his throat. There was utter silence for a moment before the celebrant spoke.

Natsume, having heard the dialogue so many times in the course of his career, ignored the person and focused only on Mikan. He smiled, unknowingly, as he observed her teary brown eyes, her wistful smile, her everything.

His heart clenched uncomfortably when Ruka's warning came back to him. His jaw clenched, lost in his thoughts.

"Pssst! Natsume!"

Natsume looked up, startled, to see Ruka glaring at him. Ruka rolled his eyes, and repeated himself.

"The ring!"

Slightly flustered, Natsume reached into his coat and took out the ring. Ruka grabbed it from him, glared for a moment, before turning back to an amused Hotaru and placing it onto her finger. Natsume swore silently, unable to believe that he actually spaced out during the entire thing.

"I now pronounce you man and wife." The celebrant had to raise his voice to be heard over the cheering, "You may now kiss the bride."

The cheering got louder as Ruka kissed his not-really-blushing bride. Wolf whistles could be heard coming from Koko and company, which was hurriedly stopped when Hotaru, still kissing, somehow took out her Baka-gun and fired in their direction.

How she managed to hide her Baka-gun underneath her dress amazed Natsume.

He shook his head and sneaked another peek at Mikan, who was now crying openly and clapping extremely hard. Another smile made its way across his face.

Perhaps it was time he face up to his own feelings as well.

* * *

Natsume stood aside, a glass of wine in hand, as he observed the reception. He nodded his head absently as he mentally checked that everything was in place.

"Hey. Why are you acting so anti-social?"

Natsume started, at hearing her bright voice. He turned to see Mikan giving him a mischievous smile. He turned away, shrugging, and placed his glass onto a passing waiter's tray.

She sighed. "So what were you thinking anyway? Spacing out just now doesn't seem like you."

"I was just thinking how idiotic you looked with mascara running all over your face."

"Eh?" Mikan's hands flew to her cheeks, and she dug through her bag, and brought out her compact. After checking that her make-up was fine, she looked at Natsume, annoyed.

"Very funny, Natsume."

She pouted and was about to break into a tirade when another voice broke in.

"Mikan?" Both turned at the sound. Mikan's eyes widened as Natsume's narrowed.

She smiled, "Tsubasa-senpai!"

The tall guy gave a sheepish smile, and stretched out his hands, grabbing Mikan into a hug. Natsume's glare intensified. Still hugging her, Tsubasa smiled at Natsume, unaware of the tension he was causing.

"Yo!" He greeted the fuming mad Natsume.

After what seemed like eons to Natsume, Mikan broke away from the hug. She smiled and asked, "Tsubasa-senpai, it has been such a long time! How have you been? Your modelling career is going well, judging by the amount of coverage you're getting recently."

Tsubasa laughed, running a hand through his hair. "It's okay, I guess. But…" He sighed. "My love life, on the other hand…" He looked at Mikan, a plea in his eyes. "Remember what I asked you over the phone? Would you-"

Whatever Tsubasa wanted to ask Mikan was interrupted when Natsume grabbed Mikan, forcing her to look at him. Mikan stared, bewildered.

"Nat-Natsume?"

Natsume took in a deep breath. He knew what Andou was about to say, and there was no way he would ever allow Mikan to agree.

No way.

He looked into her eyes, and spoke, "Mikan. This is sudden, but…" He breathed in, and continued, "Ever since we met, when we were ten-years-old, 15 years, 4 months and… I forgot how many days ago, I've always, always liked you."

Mikan's jaw dropped open, as she listened to Natsume's words. He took in another breath, his ears turning red. "I… I… love you. Would you go out with me?"

Natsume lowered his gaze, focusing on the floor. He swallowed hard, his heart thumping fast. He briefly wondered if he could actually pass out from a heart attack, judging by how fast his heart was going.

"Natsume…" He looked up, hesitatingly, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Mikan had tears in hers. She thumped a fist, lightly, on his chest.

"Are you stupid?" Natsume frowned, wondering how confessing his feelings earned this insult.

Mikan sniffed, and continued, "I have been waiting so long for your words." Tears dripped onto his shirt. "I was a-afraid that I was the only one who felt that way."

Natsume smiled and gently hugged her. He wanted to do that for so long. Mikan sniffed and hugged him back.

"Erm…" Both jumped slightly, having forgotten themselves for a moment. They turned to see an amused looking Tsubasa. He shook his head, and spoke. "I hate to interrupt. But, Mikan…"

Natsume glared at the guy. "Can't you take a hint? Mikan belongs to me, not you. She would _never_ go out with you."

To his surprise, Tsubasa threw his head back and started laughing. A glance at Mikan showed that she was trying to contain her laughter. Natsume frowned, feeling rather irritated, seeing how he was being laughed at.

Tsubasa, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, spoke. "Natsume, I think you got the wrong idea. Mikan is like my little sister. I already have a girlfriend. Misaki." He sighed, "But… I made her angry. So I wanted Mikan's help in getting Misaki back."

Oh.

Natsume felt slightly foolish now. He felt Mikan place a hand on his shoulder and turned to face her. She smiled. "If Tsubasa-senpai weren't here, I think it would be a very long time before you admit your feelings."

"Natsume…" Mikan breathed, "I-I love you."

He smiled, and pressed his lips on her forehead. "And I love you." He wrapped Mikan in another hug.

Mikan giggled, then whispered into his ear.

"By the way, it's 22 days. But who's counting?"

* * *

Half a year later,

"Flowers?"

"Hn."

"Hors d'oeuvres?"

"Hn."

"Guest-list?"

"Hn."

Mikan let out an exasperated sigh. This process was becoming rapidly familiar. She glared at the guy who was flipping through his manga lazily.

"Natsume…" She felt a massive headache coming. Natsume smirked and got up. He threw his manga onto the table, and made his way towards a fuming Mikan. Natsume stopped and looked at her.

"You know… I am the wedding planner here. Not you. Why are you always sticking your nose into my work?"

Mikan glared and pouted.

He smiled and sauntered towards the door, speaking as he did so.

"If you really want to stick your nose into planning someone's wedding, why not plan yours?"

He left the room, a grin on his face, leaving a dumbfounded Mikan with his words. She stood, frozen, for a whole minute before her senses kicked in. She stormed after him.

"NATSUME! What kind of proposal was that?"

_~The End~_

**Omake- Natsume's idea of a proposal**

"You want to get married?" He shoved his hands into his pockets, not looking into her eyes.

"Are you asking?" Her eyes gleamed playfully.

"Maybe." A familiar smirk made its way across his face.

She pondered for a moment, and grinned, "I'm fine with it if you are."

"Then let's start planning."

~End~

A/n: Oh my goodness, I can't believe I actually wrote this. Well, I hope it's okay. I don't expect much actually, but I just wanted to write this down. It was fun ^^

Tell me what you thought about this in a **review**, point out any mistakes I might have made. I don't even know whether this will be on time for the submission…

I actually got the omake part from elsewhere (it wasn't a proposal of course, I just changed the words). A book, I believe. Don't quite remember the title, except I found it very funny, and had to put it down in here ^^

Thanks for reading ^^


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